V. A. Troitskaya: the Founder of the Russian School of Geomagnetic Pulsations

A thorough investigation of short-period oscillations in the Earth’s magnetic field as a fundamental natural process of the magnetospheric plasma began in Russia after V.A. Troitskaya established two oscillatory regimes in the geomagnetic field, namely, the regimes of continuous (Pc) and irregular pulsations (Pi). For studying these pulsations, 19 stations recording the telluric currents were installed during the International Geophysical Year (IGY, 1957–1959) on Troitskaya’s initiative. One of these stations was the Borok station. Subsequently, Borok has become the basic site for investigating geomagnetic pulsations and the main center for studying the short-period pulsations (SPPs) in the Earth’s magnetic field. This is the Borok scientific station where the key fundamental regularities of different types of geomagnetic pulsations were established. Troitskaya led and actively participated these works. Troitskaya organized and conducted the first complex geomagnetic observations in the world at the conjugate points Sogra (Arkhangelsk region, Russia) and Kerguelen (Indian Ocean). These studies were initially tested at the Borok observatory, where it was established that the wave packets of Pc1 geomagnetic pulsations are alternately observed in the northern and southern hemispheres in contrast to the other pulsation types which simultaneously occur in both hemispheres. The studies carried out at Borok promoted the establishment of a new direction in geophysics—diagnostics of the state of the magnetosphere based on the ground observations of geomagnetic pulsations. The analysis of simultaneous observations of the geomagnetic pulsations at polar latitudes of the Arctic and Antarctic was also for the first time conducted at the Borok observatory. This analysis revealed the main characteristics of wave phenomena at the geomagnetic poles and in the vicinity of the projection of the dayside polar cusp. Thus, for the first time in the world, Troitskaya and her Borok colleagues established the key patterns of the oscillatory regimes in the geomagnetic field of the Earth. This laid the basis for the further experimental and theoretical investigations which have shown that SPPs play a leading role in the dynamics of the magnetospheric plasma. In this paper we also list of 60 of Troitskaya’s main publications.     

Planetary distribution of geomagnetic pulsations during a geomagnetic storm at solar minimum

We investigate the features of the planetary distribution of wave phenomena (geomagnetic pulsations) in the Earth’s magnetic shell (the magnetosphere) during a strong geomagnetic storm on December 14–15, 2006, which is untypical of the minimum phase of solar activity. The storm was caused by the approach of the interplanetary magnetic cloud towards the Earth’s magnetosphere. The study is based on the analysis of 1-min data of global digital geomagnetic observations at a few latitudinal profiles of the global network of ground-based magnetic stations. The analysis is focused on the Pc5 geomagnetic pulsations, whose frequencies fall in the band of 1.5–7 mHz (T ～ 2–10 min), on the fluctuations in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and in the solar wind density in this frequency band. It is shown that during the initial phase of the storm with positive IMF Bz, most intense geomagnetic pulsations were recorded in the dayside polar regions. It was supposed that these pulsations could probably be caused by the injection of the fluctuating streams of solar wind into the Earth’s ionosphere in the dayside polar cusp region. The fluctuations arising in the ionospheric electric currents due to this process are recorded as the geomagnetic pulsations by the ground-based magnetometers. Under negative IMF Bz, substorms develop in the nightside magnetosphere, and the enhancement of geomagnetic pulsations was observed in this latitudinal region on the Earth’s surface. The generation of these pulsations is probably caused by the fluctuations in the field-aligned magnetospheric electric currents flowing along the geomagnetic field lines from the substorm source region. These geomagnetic pulsations are not related to the fluctuations in the interplanetary medium. During the main phase of the magnetic storm, when fluctuations in the interplanetary medium are almost absent, the most intense geomagnetic pulsations were observed in the dawn sector in the region corresponding to the closed magnetosphere. The generation of these pulsations is likely to be associated with the resonance of the geomagnetic field lines. Thus, it is shown that the Pc5 pulsations observed on the ground during the magnetic storm have a different origin and a different planetary distribution.     

Geomagnetic storm intensity forecast caused by magnetic clouds of solar wind

Method of short-term forecast intensity of geomagnetic storms, expected by effect Solar wind magnetic clouds in the Earth’s magnetosphere is developed. The method is based calculation of the magnetic field clouds distribution, suitable to the Earth, the initial satellite measurements therein components of the interplanetary magnetic field in the solar ecliptic coordinate system. Conclusion about the magnetic storm intensity is expected on the basis of analysis of the dynamics of the reduced magnetic field Bz component clouds and established communication intensity of geomagnetic storms on Dst-index values and Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field vector.     

The qualitative character of the global electrical conductivity of the earth

A spectral stacking and smoothing procedure has been applied to unbroken hourly values of H and Z, for 1964 and 1965, from 17 observatories, in order to estimate the magnitude and phase of the P₁⁰ response of the Earth to long-period geomagnetic fluctuations. Exploratory techniques have been used to gauge when sufficient smoothing has been applied, and to identify the qualitative character of the global electrical conductivity of the Earth.     

Manifestation of the Lunar–Solar Tide and Free Oscillations of the Earth in the Variations of the Magnetic Field

The results of processing and analyzing the instrumental observations of the Earth’s magnetic field at the Geophysical Observatory Mikhnevo of the Institute of Geosphere Dynamics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IGD RAS) for 2010–2015 are presented. Quasi-harmonic components with the periods close to the lunar–solar tidal waves are revealed in the spectra of geomagnetic variations over a period of 0.4 to 30 days. The elliptical S₁ tidal wave which is detected in the geomagnetic variations has modulations with periods of 1/3, 1/2, and 1 year. The spectra of the geomagnetic variations contain peaks corresponding to the free oscillations of the Earth. The analysis of the time series of the magnetic field for the period of the strong earthquakes in the absence of geomagnetic disturbances revealed the fine structure of the Earth’s fundamental spheroidal mode ₀S₂, which splits into five singlets. The established features of the spectrum of geomagnetic variations are helping the development of the new method for studying the deep structure of the Earth and the properties of the inner geospheres for estimating the viscosity of the Earth’s outer core and dynamics of the current systems in the outer (liquid) core, as well as for exploring, with the use of empirical data, the general regularities governing the regimes of energy exchange processes in the geospheres.     

Interhemispheric comparison of TDIM E- and F-region ionospheres on 14 January 1988

The USU time-dependent ionospheric model (TDIM) simulated the northern (winter) and southern (summer) ionospheres as they responded to the changing solar wind and geomagnetic activity on 14 January 1988. This period began with moderately disturbed conditions, but as the IMF turned northward, the geomagnetic activity decreased. By 1400 UT, the IMF B_y component became strongly negative with B_z near zero; and eventually B_z turned southward. This began a period of intense activity as a magnetic storm developed. The magnetospheric electric field and auroral electron precipitation drivers for these simulations were obtained from the Naval Research Laboratories (NRL) Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) magnetospheric simulation for this event.The F-region ionospheric simulations contrast the summer–winter hemispheres. Then, the difference in how the two hemispheres respond to the geomagnetic storm is related to the differences in magnetospheric energy deposition in the two hemispheres. This also emphasizes the role played by the E-region in the magnetosphere–ionosphere (M–I) coupling and subsequent lack of conjugacy in the two hemispheres. The F-region’s response to the changing geomagnetic conditions also demonstrates a striking lack of conjugacy. This manifests itself in a well-defined ionospheric morphology in the summer hemisphere and a highly irregular morphology in the winter hemisphere. These differences are found to be associated with the differences in the magnetospheric electric field input.     

Studying geomagnetic pulsation characteristics with the local approximation method

A local approximation method based on piecewise sinusoidal models has been proposed in order to study the frequency and amplitude characteristics of geomagnetic pulsations registered at a network of magnetic observatories. It has been established that synchronous variations in the geomagnetic pulsation frequency in the specified frequency band can be studied with the use of calculations performed according to this method. The method was used to analyze the spectral–time structure of Pc3 geomagnetic pulsations registered at the network of equatorial observatories. Local approximation variants have been formed for single-channel and multichannel cases of estimating the geomagnetic pulsation frequency and amplitude, which made it possible to decrease estimation errors via filtering with moving weighted averaging.     

Geoeffectiveness of solar flares in magnetic crochet (sfe) production: II—Dependence on the detection method

During magnetic active periods, disturbances in the geomagnetic field can act as natural noise masking other magnetic variations of small amplitude. In this paper, the influence of these perturbations on the observation of the effects on Earth of solar flares (sfe) has been studied. The diurnal and monthly values of detected sfe have been obtained, as well as the temporal variation of the relative occurrence of events. These numbers show how the irregular distribution of the magnetic observatories is an important limitation in the efficiency of the detection method. Some considerations about the actual method used at the International Service on Rapid Magnetic Variations are finally presented.     

Correlation between the near-Earth solar wind parameters and the source surface magnetic field

The solar magnetic field B _s at the Earth’s projection onto the solar-wind source surface has been calculated for each day over a long time interval (1976–2004). These data have been compared with the daily mean solar wind (SW) velocities and various components of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) near the Earth. The statistical analysis has revealed a rather close relationship between the solar-wind parameters near the Sun and near the Earth in the periods without significant sporadic solar and interplanetary disturbances. Empirical numerical models have been proposed for calculating the solar-wind velocity, IMF intensity, and IMF longitudinal and B _z components from the solar magnetic data. In all these models, the B _s value plays the main role. It is shown that, under quiet or weakly disturbed conditions, the variations in the geomagnetic activity index Ap can be forecasted for 3–5 days ahead on the basis of solar magnetic observations. Such a forecast proves to be more reliable than the forecasts based on the traditional methods.     

1690～2000年地磁场能量的三维分布及其长期变化

利用Bloxham & Jackson 地磁场模型和国际参考地磁场模型(IGRF),研究了1690～2000年地磁总能量及其北向、东向和垂直向分量的能量以及非偶极子磁场的能量在地球内部的分布及长期变化.结果表明,地表和地核以外地磁场总能量及其北向和垂直向的能量是持续衰减的,垂直向的磁场能量占总能量的64％以上,对总能量的贡献起主要作用;东向分量的能量随时间的变化以增加为主.地磁场的能量变化率存在56年的周期,主要是由偶极子磁场产生的.地表以外的非偶极子磁能从减小到增大转折出现在1770年,比地核以外滞后40年.地球内部磁能随时间的变化显示,偶极子磁能逐渐减小,非偶极子磁能增加,越靠近核幔边界增加越快;偶极子和非偶极子磁能的变化量相等的分界面在距地心3780km处.从核幔边界到地表,磁能变化的衰减非偶极子比偶极子快,表明偶极子磁场比非偶极子磁场有更深的场源.     

The recovery phase of the superstrong magnetic storm of July 15–17, 2000: Substorms and ULF pulsations

The geomagnetic observations, performed at the global network of ground-based observatories during the recovery phase of the superstrong magnetic storm of July 15–17, 2000 (Bastille Day Event, Dst = ?301 nT), have been analyzed. It has been indicated that magnetic activity did not cease at the beginning of the storm recovery phase but abruptly shifted to polar latitudes. Polar cap substorms were accompanied by the development of intense geomagnetic pulsations in the morning sector of auroral latitudes. In this case oscillations at frequencies of 1–2 and 3–4 mHz were observed at geomagnetic latitudes higher and lower than ～62°, respectively. It has been detected that the spectra of variations in the solar wind dynamic pressure and the amplitude spectra of geomagnetic pulsations on the Earth’s surface were similar. Wave activity unexpectedly appeared in the evening sector of auroral latitudes after the development of near-midnight polar substorms. It has been established that the generation of Pc5 pulsations (in this case at frequencies of 3–4 mHz) was spatially asymmetric about noon during the late stage of the recovery phase of the discussed storm as took place during the recovery phase of the superstrong storms of October and November 2003. Intense oscillations were generated in the morning sector at the auroral latitudes and in the postnoon sector at the subauroral and middle latitudes. The cause of such an asymmetry, typical of the recovery phase of superstrong magnetic storms, remains unknown.     

150 years of magnetic observatories: Recent researches on world data

A joint Discussion Meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Irish Academy, held on January 11th, 1991, commemorated the establishment of some early magnetic observatories, discussed recent research using global geomagnetic data and described the present status of magnetic observatories in the United Kingdom. The observatory and instruments at the Dublin magnetic observatory; the origins of the Greenwich magnetic observatory, and why it eventually had to be resited; and the history of the Munich magnetic observatory formed the historical part of the proceedings. Current research topics discussed were the geomagnetic secular variation and deep Earth structure and dynamics; fluid flow patterns near the top of the core; the origin of the annual variation of the geomagnetic field; results of an analysis of monthly means from some British observatories; a new theory of the geomagnetic daily variation; and the interactions between ionospheric science and geomagnetism. The present-day observatory scene was described in terms of the information that can be derived from the almost 40 year series of data from Hartland magnetic observatory; of the methods used to process data from the three UK magnetic observatories, which nowadays are operated automatically and remotely; and (a look into the future) of a new project, INTERMAGNET, which aims to make available, in near real time, data from the world-wide network of magnetic observatories.     

Sq电流系午前午后不对称性现象的来源

太阳静日变化Sq是地球变化磁场的基本组成部分,Sq的特征反映电离层的电性质和高层大气的潮汐特性.研究Sq的变化特性,能够加深对电离层\|热层耦合的认识.准确分离出Sq,为计算地磁指数（如Dst、Kp和AE等）以及空间天气的准确预报提供必要信息.本文利用地磁观测数据,重点分析了北半球Sq形态及其午前午后不对称现象、Sq日变幅的变化特征、不同纬度地区日变幅与太阳天顶角的相关性的差异.研究表明低纬电流系和高纬电流系是引起Sq形态变化的重要来源,也是各种不对称性的主要起因.     

Wavelet analysis of geomagnetic field data

Variations in geomagnetic field data at different spectral frequencies and with different periods are observed during increased geomagnetic activity. The formed local structures depend on the field disturbance and contain information on the magnetic storm intensity and character of development. Numerical solutions and algorithms based on wavelet transforms, which make it possible to “automatically” detect periods of increased geomagnetic activity and identify and analyze the structures forming this process, have been proposed in order to study the time characteristics of geomagnetic field variations, using the H component as an example. The separated components, characterizing disturbances, make it possible to estimate variations in the field energy characteristics. An analysis of the constructed wavelet images makes it possible to trace the dynamics of variations in the H component the day before and during a magnetic storm.     

Daytime geomagnetic disturbances at high latitudes during a strong magnetic storm of June 21–23, 2015: The storm initial phase

The high-latitude geomagnetic effects of an unusually long initial phase of the largest magnetic storm (SymH ~–220 nT) in cycle 24 of the solar activity are considered. Three interplanetary shocks characterized by considerable solar wind density jumps (up to 50–60 cm^–3) at a low solar wind velocity (350–400 km/s) approached the Earth’s magnetosphere during the storm initial phase. The first two dynamic impacts did not result in the development of a magnetic storm, since the IMF Bz remained positive for a long time after these shocks, but they caused daytime polar substorms (magnetic bays) near the boundary between the closed and open magnetosphere. The magnetic field vector diagrams at high latitudes and the behaviour of high-latitude long-period geomagnetic pulsations (ipcl and vlp) made it possible to specify the dynamics of this boundary position. The spatiotemporal features of daytime polar substorms (the dayside polar electrojet, PE) caused by sudden changes in the solar wind dynamic pressure are discussed in detail, and the singularities of ionospheric convection in the polar cap are considered. It has been shown that the main phase of this two-stage storm started rapidly developing only when the third most intense shock approached the Earth against a background of large negative IMF Bz values (to–39 nT). It was concluded that the dynamics of convective vortices and the related restructing of the field-aligned currents can result in spatiotemporal fluctuations in the closing ionospheric currents that are registered on the Earth’s surface as bay-like magnetic disturbances.     

Geomagnetic field effects of the Chelyabinsk meteoroid

An analysis was conducted of time variations in geomagnetic field components on the day of the Chelyabinsk meteorite event (February 15, 2013) and on control days (February 12 and 16, 2013). The analysis uses the data collected by magnetic observatories in Novosibirsk, Almaty, Kyiv, and Lviv. The distance R from the explosion site to the observatories varies in the range 1200–2700 km. The flyby and explosion of the Chelyabinsk cosmic body is found to have been accompanied by variations mainly in the horizontal component of the geomagnetic field. The variations are quasi-periodic with a period of 30–40 min, an amplitude of 0.5–2 nT for R ≈ 2700?1200 km, respectively, and a duration of 2–3 h. The horizontal velocity of the geomagnetic field disturbances is close to 260–370 m/s. A theoretical model of wave disturbances is proposed. According to the model, wave disturbances in the geomagnetic field are caused (a) by the motion of the gravity wave generated in the atmosphere by the falling space body and (b) by traveling ionospheric disturbances, which modulate the ionospheric current at dynamo altitudes. The calculated amplitudes of the wave disturbances are 0.6–1.8 nT for R ≈ 2700?1200 km, respectively. The estimates are in good agreement with the observational data. Disturbances in the geomagnetic field level (geomagnetic pulsations) in the period range 1–1000 s are negligible (less than 1 nT).     

Studying the Relationship between High-Latitude Geomagnetic Activity and Parameters of Interplanetary Magnetic Clouds with the Use of Artificial Neural Networks

The cause-and-effect relations of the dynamics of high-latitude geomagnetic activity (in terms of the AL index) and the type of the magnetic cloud of the solar wind are studied with the use of artificial neural networks. A recurrent neural network model has been created based on the search for the optimal physically coupled input and output parameters characterizing the action of a plasma flux belonging to a certain magnetic cloud type on the magnetosphere. It has been shown that, with IMF components as input parameters of neural networks with allowance for a 90-min prehistory, it is possible to retrieve the AL sequence with an accuracy to ~80%. The successful retrieval of the AL dynamics by the used data indicates the presence of a close nonlinear connection of the AL index with cloud parameters. The created neural network models can be applied with high efficiency to retrieve the AL index, both in periods of isolated magnetospheric substorms and in periods of the interaction between the Earth’s magnetosphere and magnetic clouds of different types. The developed model of AL index retrieval can be used to detect magnetic clouds.     

Geomagnetically induced currents in power lines according to data on geomagnetic variations

The time derivative (d H/dt) of the geomagnetic field horizontal component (H) for seven intervals of high geomagnetic activity in 2003–2005 has been calculated, based on the data of Alma-Ata, Novosibirsk, and Irkutsk observatories, in order to estimate the probability of appearance of geomagnetically induced current (GIC), the value of which is linearly dependent on d H/dt, in power lines on the territory of Kazakhstan. The distributions of the H and d H/dt directions have been constructed; in this case it was most interesting that these distributions were narrow and extended along the magnetic meridian for Alma-Ata and were wider angular for Novosibirsk and Irkutsk. It has been indicated that large H values, determining significant GIC values, took place at a sudden commencement of strong storms, which had a character of a pulsed disturbance of the geomagnetic field, and during large-amplitude geomagnetic field pulsations. The duration of the periods of large |d H/dt| values exceeding the threshold (30 nT/min), when GIC could cause unwanted consequences in power circuits, has been determined.     

Features of the latitudinal distribution of the annual variation of the geomagnetic field level and circumpolar current system in 1964

The results of investigations of the latitudinal distribution of annual variation of the geomagnetic field level in the seasons of 1964 (International Quiet Sun Year) using the data from 95 world magnetic observatories located at various longitudes in the latitude range 83° N–90° S are reported. The latitudinal features of the X, Y, and Z components of the geomagnetic field have been analyzed. It has been shown that the amplitudes (summer-winter differences) of the annual variation are maximal in the polar regions, decrease continuously to zero towards the equator, and are identical for both the Northern and Southern hemispheres with a half-year delay (local summer). The amplitudes of the equinox-winter difference in the equinox periods are smaller than those in summer, but are manifested simultaneously in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. An equivalent circumpolar current system has been constructed, which is responsible for the annual variation of the geomagnetic field level. Its parameters have been determined.     

Obtaining of information about the IMF evolution from an analysis of the geomagnetic field data

A comparison of the time variations in the geomagnetic field characteristics (the u and aa indices of geomagnetic activity) with the variation in the solar magnetic dipole inclination shows close agreement between these variations. The linear correlation coefficients between the u and aa indices, the u index and solar magnetic dipole inclination, and the aa index and solar magnetic dipole inclination are 0.93, 0.45, and 0.49, respectively. This makes it possible to extend studying the IMF evolution in the 11-year cycle of solar activity to the 170-year period beginning from 1835. It has been indicated that the time variation in the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) surface deviation from the solar magnetic equator plane, calculated based on the actual HCS configuration, is in good agreement with the time variation in the amplitude of the Fourier series second harmonics in a harmonic analysis of the series of daily data on the IMF sign in the vicinity of the Earth. The linear correlation coefficient is 0.9 in this case.